charity

Christianity

...major perspectives, which have historically overlapped and sometimes coexisted in mutuality or contradiction. The first perspective, both chronologically and in continuing popularity, is personal charity. This was the predominant form of the church’s relationship to the poor from the 1st to the 16th century. The second perspective supplements the remedial work of personal charity by efforts...

corporate donations

...should act as “responsible” public institutions, holding power in trust for the community. Most companies engage in at least some public-service projects and make contributions to charities. A certain percentage of these donations can be deducted from a corporation’s taxable income. Most of the donated money goes to private health, education, and welfare agencies, ranging from...

evolution of social welfare

In many societies charity has been the traditional way in which provision was made for the poor. Charitable giving has been encouraged by many different religions, and in many parts of the world religious agencies have long collected charitable donations and distributed help to those in need.

London

...population at first found living space in the grounds of the religious institutions seized during the Reformation by Henry VIII (after 1536). To fill the void left by the cessation of the religious charities, the city organized poor relief in 1547, providing grain in times of scarcity and promoting the foundation or reconstitution of the five royal hospitals: St. Bartholomew’s, Christ’s,...